This past spring, Origin Design + Communications approached me to work on the Whistler Mountain Bike Park campaign. I was copywriter on the project last year, and the client wanted to expand on the first year’s campaign, which I think was graphically strong but lacked some impact in the “hit you where you feel it” department. I believe words have power for people in lifestyle sports like mountain biking and skiing. I wanted that to come through in the evolution of the campaign, and so we worked towards strong writing about the elements of just what makes Whistler Mountain Bike Park so damn amazing.
One of the coolest things about working on this campaign has been watching how filmmaker Mike Goldstein of Goldstein Productions has interpreted the copywriting and turned it into a set of five short films for Whistler Mountain Bike Park. He’s done a great job and they make me want to get out and ride, the true sign of a good action sports video.
Here are all five of the films, with the accompanying copy I wrote for the campaign. I hope you enjoy. – Mike Berard
Elements of Perfection – Pt1 – Dirt from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.
Part 1: Dirt
An infinite collection of tiny rocks And decomposed plant matter. You clog my lungs And grit my teeth. You scratch my goggles And stain my clothes. But you Also stain my soul. So thank you.
Thank you for letting me ride all over you.
For being forgiving while I learn whips, for being firm while I learn manuals.
For finding synchronicity with my tires. For providing soft ground between stone and wood.
For flowy lines and sculpted berms.
For giving me a reason to skip work.
For the scars on my shins. For the impressions in my memory.
For bringing together others just like me to worship you in this kick-ass place. At once, you are everything to me, but just one small part of my favourite bike park in the world.
Elements of Perfection – Pt2 – Rock from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.
Part 2: Rock
You are more than a mere part of the earth. You are the earth. You erupt from deep volcanic faults or collect in ancient processes. Upon impact, you give nothing, but you give everything through your existence. You are the beginning, middle and end of all trails.
So thank you. Thank you for letting me ride all over you.
Thank you for allowing my tires to leave their rubber fingerprint on you.
For dictating the path of the trail: over, above and around.
For allowing traction on dry days, and scary-but-fun sliding on soggy ones.
For always being there. For never changing.
Thank you for providing mental markers with your cracks and lines.
For near-vertical rollovers and wallrides and lips that never need reshaping.
For giving birth to gravel and dirt.
For bringing together others just like me to worship you in this kick-ass place.
At once, you are everything to me, but just one small part of my favourite bike park in the world.
Elements of Perfection – Pt3 – Air from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.
Part 3: Air
You barely exist, yet you literally encompass this entire world. With a perfect mix of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% “miscellaneous” you deliver life to every corner of our planet. And when I put you between tire and Earth, you give life to my ride.
So thank you. Thank you for letting me move through you and above you.
Thank you for the weightless moments between lip and transition.
Thank you for teaching me to relax during the rollover. To pull up off the wheelie drop.
Thank you for the way you whistle in my ears on jacket-flapping descents. And for the way you cool the sweat on my skin.
For fueling my ragged lungs and purifying my bloodstream.
Thank you for that unknown 1% that is so much more than miscellaneous. It’s miraculous.
For bringing together others just like me to worship you in this kick-ass place.
At once, you are everything to me, but just one small part of my favourite bike park in the world.
Elements of Perfection – Pt4 – Roots from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.
Part 4: Roots
You are the veins of the forest. You grip the ground with gnarled fingers and lay wooden foundation for tall trees and the trails that snake between them. Within you, the lifeblood of the timber flows. Without you, the woods and the singletrack they host would fall.
So thank you. Thank you for letting me ride all over you.
Thank you for unpredictable descents and tire-gripping climbs.
For teaching me to brake with subtlety, to stay fluid in movement.
Thank you for weaving your unique puzzle across the face of the trail.
Thank you for the challenge of navigating your lines, and for providing footholds when I can’t.
Thank you for building this grand temple of fir and cedar. For fiber, water and foliage. For natural surfaces. For wild textures. For keeping mountain biking true to its past.
For bringing together others just like me to worship you in this kick-ass place.
At once, you are everything to me, but just one small part of my favourite bike park in the world.
Part 5: Soul
Some question its presence. As if chairlifts and full-face helmets somehow diminish the passion behind our gravity-fueled pursuit. What we know is that it has never been about equipment or high-speed quads or dual crown forks. Instead, it’s about substance, and commitment, and love for a two-wheeled life. Simply put, it is soul.
So thank you.
Thank you for being at the core of every decision I make.
Thank you for providing the fire that burns throughout the impossibly long off-season.
For the initial tinge of excitement I felt the first time I caught air, and for the lifetime of descents that followed.
For keeping me focused: on fun, on performance, and on the trail.
Thank you for showing others that you are alive and thriving in the stone, dirt, air and hearts you’ll find here.
Thank you for bringing together other souls just like me to worship you in this kick-ass place.
At once, you are everything to me, but just one small part of my favourite bike park in the world.
Elements of Perfection – Pt5 – Soul from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.